The Flame of Destiny
by Sparen
Summary: In the region of Randrake, a lone boy sets off on his own Pokémon journey. However, in a region where the traditional systems of human dominance are challenged and where wilderness dominates, this is a journey unlike those of most trainers. He'll have to survive and battle against a criminal team whose goal is to industrialize Randrake and fight to get to the top. OCs.
1. Chapter 1: Draxel

It's been a long time since I last uploaded anything to . Following the advice of the anonymous user, I have lurked, not posted anything, and discontinued all of my ongoing works. And it remained that way for over a year. In that year, Digital Earth was completed, but never revealed. I've decided that it's now or never. I'm here to improve my writing, and stating that "Everything about this piece is bad" isn't going to help that.

This piece is meant to be as focused as I can make it. Since I have a penchant for making too many characters, I've limited myself here. A maximum of one Pokémon can be used in the Pokémon League. Let's see how this turns out! If you have comments, please rate and review!

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Prologue: Randrake**

Randrake, A massive continent in the Pokémon world, filled with the most natural settings in the Pokémon World. There were few towering cities; forests, lakes, mountains, and rivers covered the landscape. It was almost untouched by human technology compared to the great cities of Unova or Kanto.

Randrake was not like other regions. Unlike in many regions, the Ranger Union had a strong presence in the region and kept order in the wilderness while the normal police took care of the cities. Humans coexisted peacefully with Pokémon, as partners and equals. In other regions, the Pokémon League was an annual event that required 8 gym badges to participate in. Trainers from across a region would train a team of Pokémon and challenge other trainers in a massive, well-publicized tournament. In Randrake, the Pokémon League was held every 2 years, but only one Pokémon was allowed per trainer. And so, this exotic region made its name as a place for nature and a place of the strongest, most powerful trainers in the Pokémon World.

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 1: Draxel**

## Randrake Arc, May 10, AW667

Reinsgard in the morning. The sun shone brightly through the windows, the curtains gently flowing with the morning breeze. On this particular day, it was very calm, and for Draxel Freystor, this was the most important day of his life as he knew it.

"Mom... 5 more minutes…"

Draxel, hugging his pillow, shifted around in bed. Then all of a sudden, his leg rolled into empty space, and the rest of his body fell along with it.

"OW!"

His head smashed down on the wooden floor, the blanket and pillow coming down with him. The sheets gently collected on the white mound of blankets.

"Ugh…"

Draxel, now fully awake and inured, pulled himself out of the cocoon, rubbing his eyes while swearing under his breath. There was a creak as the door opened and a little girl's head peeked into the room.

"Draxie~~~"

His little sister, Marisa, bounded over to him. She jumped up and landed on the covers, hitting Draxel's exposed and bony legs hard.

"Oww!" he complained.

Draxel yawned, still dizzy from the fall. His 12th birthday was here and…

* * *

Oh yeah. It was his birthday. It was _the_ birthday he had been waiting for.

* * *

He jumped out of the cocoon, tripping on his sheets, and made a break for the door, stumbling a few times on the way.

"Draxie! Mommy told you not to run around without a shirt!" Marisa cried out, running after her brother.

"I don't care! I'm going to get a Pokémon today!"

* * *

In Randrake, unlike in other regions, it was customary for a trainer to get his or her first Pokémon on their 12th birthday rather than their 10th. In the small mountain village of Reinsgard, there weren't many other children, so Draxel was very excited about getting his very own Pokémon.

"Draxel! Your shirt!" his mother cried out as Draxel ran down the creaking wooden stairs, feet rattling the old planks.

"I don't care about my shirt!"

His mother, stirring breakfast in a pot on the stove, watched as Draxel barely dodged the chairs in the center of the room and smashed into the door face first as he reached for the doorknob.

* * *

"Draxie~~~ I told you that I locked the door" Marisa called out from the top of the stairs.

"…Y…you could have told me that earlier. Eh….ehehe…"

Draxel removed his face from the door and faced his mother.

"…No comment."

He drooped his head.

"Fine, fine."

* * *

Draxel soon returned to the ground floor, this time with bright red shorts, a white sleeveless T-shirt, a cap, and a backpack. His mother handed him some breakfast on a small plate, still warm.

"Eat now, so that you don't complain later."

By the time she finished her sentence, half of the omelet had been devoured and Draxel was stuffing his face.

"Draxie… you're not going to be popular with those table manners." Marisa said, hugging her mommy.

"Mmmh! Mmh! Mmmmhmhmhmh!" Draxel replied. He could care less about his popularity when food and getting his first Pokémon were of the utmost importance.

* * *

"So Draxel's going to get his first Pokémon, right?"

In the meadow across from the Pokémon Ecology Laboratory, a boy and a girl sat on the grass with a Pikachu.

"Pika~~~ch-chu!"

Pikachu sneezed as fresh spring pollen entered its nose.

"Chuuuuu…"

Coated in pollen after having rolled in flowers, suffering was inevitable. Pikachu, teary eyed, cuddled with his trainer.

Pikachu's trainer was a tall boy. He sported soft brown hair and looked like a pro sprinter. His arms were lean from swordplay, and his sleeveless vest flaunted that.

"Kieren!"

Kieren turned around.

The girl sitting behind him was busy adorning her hair with flowers.

"Kieren. Can you hold these flowers for me?"

Kieren blushed, and then took the daisies from the girl, who nonchalantly arranged some flowers in her hair.

The girl chuckled, then looked up at the sky.

"…It must be nice to see the world. I'm going to be staying here in Reinsgard with Clefairy. Good luck on your journey. I hope you find a nice girlfriend."

Kieren blushed, then watched as Draxel rushed over to the lab.

"Well, looks like Draxel's going to get a Pokémon. I'm going to Lorrestine. Bye."

With that, Kieren stood up and walked off, Pikachu jumping onto his head.

* * *

*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*

Draxel arrived at Prof. Tamarack's lab gasping for breath.

"Finally… the moment is here…"

Leaning on the door, he straightened his body and turned the doorknob.

Inside, the lab was how it always had been. Prof. Tamarack was a renowned ecologist, and behind the lab was a massive space for all kinds of plants to grow. The lab itself was clean and shiny, and the bright green from the plants at the end of the hall provided some variety.

Draxel stepped into the building. He walked down the main hall towards Prof. Tamarack's lab. The shiny white walls were polished clean, like they always were. Soon he arrived at the door to Prof. Tamarack's office, and he knocked, impatiently awaiting a response.

"Why if it isn't Draxel."

The professor stood up from his desk and made his way to the door.

"Please come in." the professor said as he opened the door.

Draxel stepped inside, trying to contain his pent-up excitement. Prof. Tamarack sat back down in his chair.

"I understand that you are very excited. Please sit down and more importantly, calm down a bit."

Draxel did as he was told and sat down in the chair across from Prof. Tamarack.

The professor coughed, then began to rummage through his desk. After a few slams and a few creaks, he found what he was looking for.

"Here."

Prof. Tamarack handed Draxel a Trainer Card, then a shiny new PokéDex.

"Here you go. This is your trainer card, and here's a PokéDex. Knowing you, you already know how to use both."

Draxel picked up the red PokéDex and flipped open the cover, revealing the screen and buttons. An automated voice began to speak.

"Welcome to PokéDex Registration. Please swipe your Trainer Card so that this PokéDex may be registered as belonging to you."

Drexel swiped his Trainer Card down the electronic reader on the side of the PokéDex.

"Confirmed. Draxel Freystor. This PokéDex belongs to you."

"Now. Please place your right retina in view of the camera."

* * *

After a retina scan and a fingerprint scan, the PokéDex beeped and turned to a screen.

"This PokéDex has a number of helpful features. Select 'Pokémon Scan' to obtain information on a Pokémon. If it is unknown, its data will be added to our database. Select 'Pokémon Database' to access the Pokémon Database. You will be able to access data on hundreds of Pokémon from here. Select 'Help' for more information."

Draxel closed the PokéDex, full of anticipation.

"Draxel, calm down." The Professor said, shaking his head and sweatdropping.

He stood up and pushed his seat back. He walked over to the door, then beckoned for Draxel to follow him.

* * *

Outside, Prof. Tamarack faced Draxel.

"Let's see… we have a number of young Pokémon that you may consider taking with you. Follow me."

Prof. Tamarack led him to a fenced nursery. Audino and Chansey tended to the Pokémon inside the fence, noting the Professor's presence.

Prof. Tamarack opened the door to the fenced area, and Draxel followed him in.

* * *

"Pi~cha!"

Immediately, an adorable Pichu walked up to him and shocked him.

"#$Y#*$##$#$#®†√¥©¥©¥¥∞§¥ç√¨¶§!"

Prof. Tamarack chuckled as Draxel fell to the ground, hair sticking up like that of a porcupine.

"This Pichu loves to shock others. It also likes people very easily."

Draxel looked away, tending to some minor burns on his face.

"I think I'll pass."

After a long period of searching, Draxel was losing his eagerness. After seeing every Bulbasaur, every Jigglypuff, and every Chimchar, none seemed like they'd make a good partner for him.

"Are there any more?" he asked.

The Professor nodded.

"…The runts and babies are still here. But…"

Draxel cut him off.

"Let me take a look anyways."

Professor Tamarack obliged and led him over to the small building on the side of the enclosed area.

* * *

Inside the small building attached to the fenced area was the internal nursery for baby Pokémon. The moment he stepped in, he knew which one he wanted.

"That one." He said, pointing his finger at a Charmander that was hiding in a corner.

Prof. Tamarack raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure? That one's very shy."

"I'm sure."

Draxel walked over to the Charmander. As his shadow fell over it, it whimpered and tried to curl into a ball in the corner.

"Don't be scared!"

Draxel knelt down, the shadow lifting off of the small orange body.

Draxel positioned his head so that he could look at it. Slowly but surely, it turned its head until a corner of its eye could see Draxel.

Draxel stared at it. It stared back.

After about 10 minutes of staring, Draxel stood up, making sure that his shadow wasn't falling on it. He then moved his hands forward and picked the Charmander up. It squealed in displeasure and struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Char! Char!"

It kicked furiously, its small body helpless.

"…It was born quite recently. Take good care of it."

Prof. Tamarack placed a Pokéball next to Draxel, and then left, leaving the two alone with the Chansey and crying baby Pokémon.

* * *

Draxel soon arrived back home.

"Draxie~ what kind of Pokémon did you get~" Marisa inquired, kitty eyes staring Draxel down.

"Well…"

Draxel held up the Pokéball and let out the Charmander on his bed.

Upon seeing the massive faces above it, it cried out and curled back into a ball.

Marisa brightened up with a Yachiru face.

"It's so cuuuuute!"

She immediately began to tickle it. Giggling, she poked it and tickled it until its whimpers transformed into giggles.

Draxel watched, mesmerized. Marisa was ALWAYS good with baby Pokémon. Unlike him.

After the Charmander recovered from its laughing fit, it looked up at Draxel and Marisa.

"Chaaaaarr…"

Draxel picked it up and hugged it.

"Draxie! Your shirt!"

Draxel forgot that Charmanders had tail flames.

"Oh $#!+!"

He immediately dropped the Charmander and stripped off his shirt. The Charmander fell safely on a pile of bed sheets. On the other hand, Draxel was busy freaking out about the fire.

"What the hell am… ARGHHH!"

He spazzed as he tried to put out the fire. Meanwhile, Marisa gave the Charmander a piece of chocolate from the bar she was nibbling on.

"Chaar…"

Marisa and Char watched Draxel freak out, eating chocolate as if they were watching a movie.

* * *

After the incident, they returned downstairs.

"Are you going to leave today?" Draxel's mother asked.

"No. It's too young to bring out right away."

"That's unusually thoughtful of you." His mother said.

"…Maybe it is."

* * *

After the meal, the Charmander fell asleep. Draxel placed it on a flat stone in his room and let it sleep.

"…Sleep tight, Char."

## Randrake Arc, May 11, AW667

Dawn came soon enough. Draxel was fully packed and ready by daybreak.

"OK. Char, wake up!"

Draxel shook Char a bit.

"Chaaaar…"

Char rubbed an eye and slowly stood up before facing Draxel.

"Your name's Char from now on, OK? We're going to go on a journey together."

"Char."

Char allowed himself to be sucked into the PokéBall. Draxel walked down the stairs, making sure to not wake anyone.

"…Everyone… bye. I'll come back to visit some day."

And so their adventure began.

#####

Wow. So that's Chapter 1. Please Rate and Review, and tell me if there are any spelling/grammar errors or if stuff's not clear. Every comment counts!


	2. Chapter 2: From Mountain to Mountain

Here's Chapter 2! Thanks for those of you who supported me!

P.S. Char is legitimately small. Imagine a glass of water. Yeah. That height.

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 2: From Mountain to Mountain**

## Randrake Arc, May 11, AW667

Reinsgard wasn't very large, so it took almost no time for Draxel to arrive at the town gates. He looked over at the town, his heart heavy. The old wooden buildings nestled in the mountains with well-tended gardens had been his home for all his life. He was taking his first steps into the unknown, the world outside Reinsgard.

The sun was barely visible over the mountains. The yellow-orange sky signaled dawn. After one last glance at the dirt and cobblestone paths and trees in the distance, he faced the other direction and began to walk.

Soon, daybreak came. Char rode on Draxel's shoulder, examining the unfamiliar outside world. The mountain road cut through forested mountains, and the dirt path was shady from the trees above. The sandy path was pretty narrow, only enough for a small vehicle to move along, and the rustling of the trees in the wind was constant yet calming. Everything was green or brown, with occasional flashes of color from the flowers growing on the roadside.

* * *

"Char…"

Char pointed over at a Deerling that was nibbling on some grass by the path.

"Deerling. The young deer Pokémon. It hides in grass, and its appearance changes with the seasons."

The Deerling curiously walked onto the path, stepping gently around the pebbles as it neared Draxel.

Draxel knelt down as he approached it, stopping to examine it.

"Char!"

Char reached out and poked the Deerling on the nose. It gave a cute mew as it recoiled.

There was a booming call, and the Deerling immediately turned back to the forest. It looked back at Draxel, then bounded back into the forest, probably to its parents.

Draxel stood up. The rustling of the leaves and the shadows on the ground reminded him of home.

* * *

After a few long hours of walking without any others in sight, Draxel realized that there was a flat area ahead with a few shacks on it. Upon leaving the forest, he realized that it was a meadow. Deerling played in the grass and Butterfree flew around, fluttering their wings over the flowers.

"Char!"

Char jumped onto the ground and looked up at some flowers twice his height. His face contorted momentarily, and then he sneezed.

"Chu!"

Draxel turned around, confused by where the other sneeze had come from. He looked over at the center of the meadow and noticed a Pikachu sneezing, surrounded by allergies and flowers.

"Chaaaaa….."

It sniffled and sneezed again.

"Pikachu! You're going to get allergies if you roll in the flowers!"

Kieren walked out of one of the cabins. He initially walked towards Pikachu, then saw Draxel.

"Wait… Draxel?"

He jogged over to Draxel and Char. Pikachu walked over to his partner, rubbing his nose.

'Draxel! Fancy meeting you here!"

"Kieren? Why are YOU here?" Draxel exclaimed.

Kieren chuckled and scratched his head.

"I'm on my way to Lorrestine. I'm going to join in the Pokémon Battle Tourney. Basically, it's a competition held in Raystream City every year where trainers and Pokémon fight together against other trainers and Pokémon. Of course, you know that much already."

Draxel's eyes widened.

"Wait a sec! Raystream City?! That's so far away from here! It's that city where they have all of those machines and everything!"

Kieren nodded at Draxel.

"Yeah, but I don't need to be there for a long time, since the competition is much later. On a side note… let's battle! Pikachu needs to recover from his allergies, so that'll be an acceptable handicap against your baby Charmander."

Draxel knelt down and faced Char.

"Char, do you want to fight?"

Char looked back at him.

"Char…"

He looked down at the flower in front of him.

"He's shy. Don't worry." Kieren said, nodding at Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, getting the signal.

Pikachu walked over to Char and held out a paw. Char looked over at Pikachu.

"Pika. Pikapikachu." "Char…char char char."

Char faced Draxel, then walked back a few steps.

"Char!"

He blasted a stream of embers at Pikachu.

"Chu!"

Pikachu dodged and retaliated with a thundershock.

"CHAAAAAARRRR!"

Char cried out in pain as he was hit. He fell down on the soft grass with a small thud.

"Char! Are you OK?!"

Draxel knelt down and gently picked Char's limp body up.

"Char…"

Kieren whistled in concern.

"Ouch. Make sure you feed him well. He's not really old enough to do battle. Sorry about that. I guess I got a little too excited."

"Pika."

Pikachu offered Char some leaf tissues. Char sneezed into one, then walked onto a small patch of grass.

"Char…"

Char gave a sigh of content. Then he yawned and fell asleep on the spot.

"Char, return."

Kieren faced Draxel.

"Don't overwork him. Otherwise he'll get burned out. Come into the cabin. You haven't been outside of Reinsgard, so it's essential that you learn more about Randrake before you continue and something bad happens to you."

* * *

The wooden cabin was a little rickety and a little unstable, but was still comfortable. Kieren pulled out a wooden chair by the table and sat down. Pikachu hopped onto the table and looked at the map of Randrake that Kieren had set up earlier.

"OK Draxel. We are from here, Reinsgard."

He pointed towards the bottom right corner of the map.

"This town over here is Lorrestine, as you already know. Farther west along the mountains is Revenstrake. If you exit the mountains around here…"

He pointed to a path halfway through Lorrestine and Revenstrake.

"You can go to Rejernia City. It's next to Lorrestine Lake. It's probably called that because the person who founded Lorrestine also founded Rejernia. But that's a different story. It'll be unfamiliar for you until you get near Lorrestine, so I'll tell you now. Each town and city has at least one Pokémon Center. Trainers can rest there and heal their Pokémon for free. Use them well, and use them to learn more about the city you're in."

He looked outside and noted the sun going down.

"Well, it's getting late. I suggest that you get some sleep and some dinner. Come over here; I'll show you something."

Kieren stood up and motioned for Draxel to follow.

* * *

In the makeshift kitchen, Kieren put a frozen meal into the microwave.

"Pikachu!"

He plugged the microwave into a set of electrodes and attached the electrodes to Pikachu's cheeks. Pikachu began to charge up static electricity, which crackled as sparks flew from his cheeks.

"Pika…CHUUUU!"

Instantly, the microwave started working.

"…What… kind of…" Draxel stammered, unable to comprehend who made such an invention.

Kieren chuckled, adjusting the microwave as Pikachu charged the device.

"Technology can be weird sometimes. But hey, it works."

Dinner was served shortly. Pikachu seemed perfectly fine and happy, despite having had electrodes attached to his face for the past few minutes, and the meals were eaten in silence, the only noises being slurping of epic proportions and the sound of plastic silverware scraping against emptying bowls.

"Chaaaaaar…"

Char gave a sleepy yawn after eating, and immediately fell back asleep on the table.

Draxel smiled.

"He's really cute. It's nice to have a Pokémon with you."

Kieren chuckled evilly.

"Make sure that he knows how to clean up after himself."

* * *

That night, Draxel woke up to the aroma of Char scat on the floor.

"Be glad that he had the decency to do it on the floor and not on you." Kieren said, cuddled up with Pikachu on a separate bed and facing the other way with his nose under the covers.

Draxel scowled back and proceeded to clean up, trudging out of bed.

## Randrake Arc, May 12, AW667

Draxel woke up to the pleasant sound of chirping Taillow and Pidgey.

*Yawn*

He rubbed his eyes and looked around.

"Char… Where are-"

Char was gone. And so were Kieren and Pikachu.

* * *

Draxel jumped out of bed and threw on his shirt as quickly as possible.

"Kieren! Char! Pikachu!"

No response.

He bolted out of the bedroom. Nobody in sight in the main room either. He rushed out of the cabin, the door swinging back and forth on its creaking hinges.

Char and Pikachu were standing on the edge of the meadow, which overlooked a valley.

"Char! Pikachu!"

The two Pokémon turned to face Draxel as he ran over.

"Chuuu." Pikachu was sobbing, and pointed at a cabin in the valley below.

Draxel came to a stop at the cliff edge and looked down at the wooden cabin, which was next to a whitewater river and surrounded by trees. The path down was a steep, dirt path.

"Is he there?"

Pikachu nodded, sniffling.

"Let's go!"

* * *

The chirping had stopped. The meadow had been disheveled. Chunks of dirt had been thrown up, and it looked as if the meadow had been gouged.

Draxel stopped to approach one of the gouge marks. It looked like a beast had run through the area. A pretty big one, at that.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the small shack in the valley below, a black-clad ninja-like figure stood over Kieren's body, which had been tightly bound with ropes. Kieren's arms were tied behind his back and his legs were tied together.

"Hmph. You're going to battle in the Pokémon Battle Tourney, right? Well, too bad. Because I'm going to eliminate you here."

A large beast approached the ninja. It was about as tall as the man, and had sparkly electric-blue fur. It looked like a Raikou in terms of overall body structure, but looked much more wild and fierce, and its eyes were colder.

Kieren managed to activate his PokéDex.

"Kyrofrein. No data available."

Kieren's Pokédex returned a negative. No data.

"Who the _hell_ are you?!" he demanded to know, struggling to get out of the ropes.

The black-clad man chuckled. His entire body was covered in black except his cold blue eyes.

"I won't be telling you anytime soon. You'll be dead before you find out. Kyrofrein, finish him."

The beast leapt forward, landing in front of Kieren's body. Its sharp saber teeth sparkled with electricity, as did its rough electric blue fur.

Kieren froze, shutting his eyes. It was all he could do.

* * *

"Am… I going to die here?" he thought to himself.

"PIKA…CHUUUUU!"

A volt tackle slammed into Kyrofrein, knocking it over.

"…A Pikachu?" the masked man commented, showing no surprise.

Pikachu stood in front of Kieren's body, arms out as if to shield him. Electricity sparkled from his cheeks and arms.

"Chaaaaaaar!"

Embers slammed into Kyrofrein as Char entered the room.

"Grrrrrr…."

Pikachu and Char, who had been so determined a few seconds before, suddenly froze. The roar was deep and terrifying. An icy wave of fear overcame everyone in the room except for the trainer. All noise stopped.

"Kyrofrein. We're going. I think we gave him something to think about."

He mounted Kyrofrein and they bolted out of the shack.

"Kieren!"

The sound of Draxel's panting and footsteps grew louder as he neared the shack.

"Char!"

He smashed through the wooden door, gasping for breath as it fell to the ground.

"Kieren!"

He dashed over and frantically began to try to untie the ropes.

"Char!"

Char looked up at Draxel, then at the ropes. Draxel's fingers were quickly accumulating bruises from the material, and he wasn't having much luck.

"Chaaaar!"

He blew a small flame, lighting the rope on fire. In a few swift movements, Draxel ripped the rope apart and extinguishedthe flames. After a bit of tugging, Kieren was free.

Kieren sat up, wincing in pain.

"I owe you all… I thought that guy was going to kill me."

His back was covered in bloody red welts from the rope. It didn't look good.

"Let's get you back to the cabin."

* * *

After a long hike back up, Kieren lay down on his bed. Draxel pulled off Kieren's shirt and examined his body.

The ropes had been pretty tight, and the welts all across his back oozed blood, blood, which had already soaked his shirt. His chest and abs were relatively uninjured.

"Are you okay?" Draxel asked as he put a bloody cloth back in a bucket of water.

Kieren nodded weakly.

"…That guy was terrifying. Still… I'm alive."

"…Can you walk?"

"Not really. I think I'll be fine though. Go on to Lorrestine, Draxel."

Draxel sat down next to him.

"Listen, Kieren. I've been with you for a long time. Don't tell me to leave you here."

Kieren sighed.

"…I have Pikachu with me. Go on. I'll be better soon enough."

* * *

"Char."

Char looked up at Draxel.

Draxel looked back in return.

"…OK. Let's go. Don't hurt yourself, OK?"

Kieren laughed.

"I won't. Go."

Draxel stood up and picked Char up.

"…I hope we see each other again soon."

With that, he left the cabin.

#####

So another chapter is done. Hopefully I'll be able to make a coherent story.

For those of you who are wondering who the ninja is… I have his identity down already. He's 19 years old, partner, Kyrofrein. As for Kyrofrein, I decided that I wanted an Ice/Electric type, so that ended up with Kyrofrein being created. I was planning to introduce the 'evil team' but decided not to.

Thanks for the support!


	3. Chapter 3: The Town in the Valley

Well, here's Chapter 3. Rate and Review!

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 3: The Town in the Valley**

## Randrake Arc, May 12, AW667

It was a long trek. It was sunset when the path from the mountains finally terminated at a police station and Pokémon Center. A sign saying "Welcome to the Karren National Preserve" loomed over the dirt path as it turned to concrete. The lights from the Pokémon Center and police station cast dim shadows over the clearing.

Draxel arrived at the Pokémon Center tired and exhausted. The concrete was unfamiliar below his feet, and at first, the bright lights hurt his eyes. As he walked in, the automatic doors opened for him, surprising him. He'd never experienced such technology before in Reinsgard, where people opened doors by twisting doorknobs and pushing.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

Draxel blinked in confusion at first, unsure of were the voice had come from. Then he noticed the nurse sitting at the table in the back of the Pokémon Center.

"Uh…I'm Draxel and…"

The nurse covered her mouth, then suddenly began giggling for no apparent reason.

"You're from Reinsgard and just got your first Pokémon, right?" she said out of nowhere.

Draxel was taken aback.

"H…how did you…" He was completely confused as to why a random nurse knew where he came from.

The nurse giggled again, then stood up, leaning over the table.

"I can tell. The only people who come out here are either wildlife fanatics, ecologists, or people traveling to Reinsgard. That means that you're from the town up in the mountains, and that little Charmander is from Prof. Tamarack, right?"

Draxel was completely astonished. People from the outside were _really_ good at reading him, it seemed. He feared for the future.

"Anyways, give me your Trainer Card for a moment. I'll set you up for tonight."

"Th…thank you very much." Draxel said, stammering as he looked away.

"You're very welcome."

* * *

The Pokémon Center was like a lab. It was white and clean, had local plant life growing in pots, and sported nice red padded benches around the main room for people to sit on.

"Chan-sey~"

A Chansey walked out from the medical ward, the automatic doors closing right behind it, and walked up to Draxel. It pointed to Char.

"Oh, Char?"

Char was yawning, barely awake.

Draxel handed Char's sleeping body to the Chansey, who placed it gently on the ground.

"Chansey~~"

In an instant, it was healing Char, a gentle light emanating from its hands.

"You need to get rest, you know. That and a good dinner." The nurse said.

"Where can-"

"Here."

She handed Draxel a small wad of money.

"That should be enough for a dinner at the restaurant down the road. It's the only real place to eat around here, since Lorrestine's still a bit far."

Draxel was astonished yet again. She was very generous, completely the opposite of what he had expected of people from outside of Reinsgard. Looks like not everyone was out to rob you.

"Oh yeah. And be careful about your possessions. Some people like to steal things or rip you off. Don't expect people to give you money when you get to cities." The nurse said.

Ah. He understood. Half of it.

"Then why-"

"Because you're starting out as a trainer. And because you have a baby Pokémon. Can't let it go hungry now, can't I."

She smiled back.

"I'll have your room prepared by the time you get back."

* * *

The restaurant wasn't very far, and both Draxel and Char were able to get a good, warm dinner with the money the nurse had provided. On their way back to the Pokémon Center, Draxel decided to take a peek inside the police office.

The building had a blue roof and featured massive glass windows that pretty much covered most of the building's walls. It was likewise filled with local plant life. He entered and took a look around.

"Hello. May I help you? Are you lost?" the Pokémon Ranger behind the counter asked. There was also a police officer next to her, reading through some papers.

"Oh." Draxel said, noticing that the Ranger was looking at him.

"Hehe."

The Ranger stood up.

"If you're lost, we can help you get to your destination."

"No, I'm not lost. I just decided to take a look around. I'm from Reinsgard."

The Ranger smiled.

"I see. I assume you've been to the Pokémon Center then? Well, since your partner isn't exactly the strongest right now, make sure that you stay safe, OK? Not everyone on the road is friendly."

Draxel nodded, then decided to inquire about the ninja.

"Oh yeah. Earlier today, a black-clad guy with this beast Pokémon attacked one of my friends, Kieren. According to Kieren, he was part of the Pokémon Battle Tourney. The guy roped Kieren up pretty tightly, and he was injured as a result. Also, he was apparently dressed up as a ninja. Do you know him?"

The police officer shook her head.

"…We know the guy only from witness reports. We don't know who he is, although his Pokémon… is quite special."

"According to my friend, a Pokédex scan turned out negative."

"Not surprising. Anyways, stay safe."

* * *

Draxel soon returned to the Pokémon Center.

"So, was the meal good?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Here is your room key. Each room comes with its own bathroom. Please return your key at the end of your stay."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome.

* * *

The room was small, but it was clean. Draxel put his bags and a sleeping Char on the stone table, then got into bed. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

## Randrake Arc, May 13, AW667

The next morning, Draxel woke up to chirping Taillow like usual.

"Five more minutes…" he muttered, hugging the pillow.

Once again, he moved his legs a little too far and fell off of the bed.

"Ow!"

He hit the floor, body dangling from the bed and suspended by a few bedsheets.

"Chaaaaar…."

Char looked at him, yawning.

"…Good morning." Draxel said, half-asleep himself with blood rushing to his head and his shirt on top of his face.

* * *

After getting out of bed successfully, the two headed downstairs.

"Good morning! Here's some fresh bread!"

The Pokémon Center had quite a few people in it. Draxel took a roll of bread from the nurse. It was warm and soft, and he munched on it eagerly, looking around the Pokémon Center in the process.

"It's a straight walk to Lorrestine. Have a good day!"

* * *

After returning the door key and thanking the nurse, he walked out. The air was damp and humid, and the sky was cloudy. It looked like it wasn't going to be the most impressive day, but it didn't look like it was going to rain either.

The road to Lorrestine was basically a long dirt path that cut straight through a forest. Draxel, with Char on his shoulder, faced a long road ahead.

* * *

After walking for about an hour with unchanging scenery, Draxel came across a bug catcher.

"Hey! You have a Pokémon! Let's battle!"

"Sure." Draxel said. It was a bug catcher. Good training for Char.

The bug catcher threw his Pokéball, and out came…

…a Caterpie.

Slightly underwhelmed, Draxel nodded at Char and decided to not give orders.

"Caterpie! TACKLE!"

The bug jumped forward. Char jumped away and fired an ember.

"Piiiiiiiiii!"

The Caterpie, badly burned from the ember, collapsed on the ground and was immediately recalled.

"Aww… you did well, Caterpie."

The bug catcher faced Draxel.

"Damn. You beat me. Thanks for the battle."

"Thanks to you too." Draxel replied, looking back at the trainer with disbelief. The bug catcher was probably a few years older than him, yet was a lot worse at Pokémon battles than someone whose Pokémon had never been in a battle before.

* * *

Around noon, the forest road thinned out and turned to stone. Soon, there was a large sign on the side of the road that said "Welcome to Lorrestine, the Slate City."

Lorrestine was a relatively large town of approximately 20000 people within its town limits. Known for the slate mines to the northwest and the marble it exported out of the mountains, it made lucrative fortunes from its natural resources and as a result, it boasted a number of parks, public gardens, and museums. There was no official Pokémon gym, but there was an unofficial one that featured Rock type Pokémon.

* * *

"Wow… so this is Lorrestine."

Draxel entered through the town gates, the dark blue slate roads and the slate and marble-decorated brick houses towering far above what he knew from Reinsgard. Seeing a building over four stories high was unfamiliar to him. The cloudy sky soon broke up into sunshine, revealing the beauty of the flower patches that decorated every house and sidewalk. People walked down the streets, many with bug or rock type Pokémon. Lampposts dotted the tranquil lanes, curving over the sidewalks and wooden benches. Draxel walked by a public park, where a fountain surrounded by flowers sprayed water.

"Char~!"

Char gave a content exclamation. The town was very well-tended.

Draxel was equally awestruck. Lorrestine was known for being one of the most beautiful places in Randrake, but he had never expected it to be as beautiful as what lay in front of him. Everything was clean and looked perfect. Still the Pokémon Center was his first goal.

* * *

The Pokémon Center wasn't hard to find. It was a five story building with flowers on every balcony and a giant Pokéball logo on all four sides. It was VERY different from the one Draxel had previously visited. He entered the double doors, taking note of the height.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center! How may I help you?"

The Pokémon Center was much more full than the other one too, and there were lots of trainers and Pokémon inside.

"Uh… yeah… I… uh…"

The nurse looked at him weirdly.

"Would you like a room?"

Draxel blinked uncertainly.

"Uh… oh, yes please."

"Ok then. Your trainer card please."

* * *

After registering, Draxel hurried out of the Pokémon Center.

"…That was really dumb of me." He said to himself under his breath. Looking down at the ground, he forgot to look where he was going.

"…Hey. Watch it."

Draxel felt a sharp eruption of pain as a large man smashed into him.

"Ow!"

He staggered to the side, smelling alcohol from the man.

"Hmm? Didja say somethin'?"

The man stopped and turned to face Draxel.

"I…uh…"

He ran. And the drunk man chased after, swearing profusely.

* * *

"Hey! Boy! Get over here! Otherwise I'm gonna take that precious Pokémon of yours! We're Team Rising! We're gonna turn this backwards region into the center of all things grand! Little kids like you shouldn't interfere! Go! Arbok!"

"Arbok. The snake Pokémon. Its glare stops prey in their tracks and its poison kills all who are bitten. It strangles those who try to escape its grasp."

Draxel shoved the PokéDex into his pocket as he ran.

"Damn it! Why the hell am I being chased?!" Draxel swore under his breath.

"Arbok! Acid!" the drunk man commanded.

"Char! Face it and fire embers!"

"Char!"

Char turned around and spat embers, smashing the incoming acid bubbles. The bubbles landed on the sidewalk and began to sizzle on the plant leaves and other organic materials on the ground.

"Arbok! Get-"

"Halt!"

A Graveler landed in front of the Arbok with a smash, separating Draxel and the drunken man. Draxel slowed down and put his hand out towards a building to stabilize himself as he gasped for breath.

"Hey, hey. Don't go damaging the city."

The speaker was an older man wearing a white beater and cargo pants. He crossed the street and crossed his arms as he looked at the drunken man with utter disapproval.

"I don't give a damn, Leiger! I wanna get that kid and I wanna get him bad."

Leiger looked at him with a dissatisfied glare.

"I won't have a drunk man smashing his way through my city using brute force. Graveler! Rock Tomb!"

"Arrrrbok!"

After the first rock smashed into the Arbok and threw it back towards its trainer, it was clear who had the edge. The drunken man recalled his Arbok immediately.

"Goddamn. I don't give a crap about the kid anymore."

He turned away and staggered away.

Leiger faced Draxel after the drunk man had turned the corner, his steps were no longer heard.

"Hey. Are you OK?"

Draxel was still gasping for breath, reclining on the stone building behind him for support as his face dripped cold sweat.

"I… I think so…"

"Good. I'm Leiger. I'm the unofficial gym leader of Lorrestine. Nice to meet you."

Draxel nodded weakly.

"I'm Draxel. I started my adventure a few days ago."

"OK. Very well then. My gym is in the northern part of town. If you want a battle or if you want to train, you can always come and see me there. Now then, I've got to go."

He walked off, giving a curt wave.

"…He seems pretty nice." Draxel commented to himself.

"He is a very nice man," a passerby lady said.

The old lady faced Draxel.

"Leiger does his best for this town and for its people. It's truly too bad that we have people like that drunk man in town. This town has always loved peace."

The old lady tottered away, leaving Drexel on the sidewalk.

"…We might as well check out the place."

#####

And that's Chapter 3! What will Draxel find out when he visits? Who is the mysterious masked man? Wait and find out!


	4. Chapter 4: The Lorrestine Gym

Well, here's Chapter 4. Rate and Review!

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 4: The Lorrestine Gym**

## Randrake Arc, May 13, AW667

To the northwest of Lorrestine was a massive mine. Draxel walked down the northern road towards the mine, the forests giving way to plains and rocky hills. Soon, the site was in full view.

It was a gigantic hole in the ground, littered with tunnels and factories, as well as vehicles and Pokémon. Outside of the mine and on a nearby mountain lay a building built into a cliff. "Lorrestine Gym" was engraved on it. The building was of gray stone, and looked sturdily built. Built into the cliff face, there was a massive shadow cast over it, and there was a path leading up the mountainside to the structure.

Draxel looked at the path, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. It was going to be a long hike up. He began walking, the rocky road digging into his shoes. He ignored it, Char's flame glowing brightly on his shoulder.

* * *

After walking for a good hour, he reached the cliff base. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and he wanted to make it to the structure as soon as possible. He looked over the mine. Piles of orange-brown dirt were sifted through, and massive chunks of slate were driven out towards factories for processing. Looks like he wasn't going to make it back to the Pokémon Center by night. He looked up at the steep path, then began to walk up.

"Ugh…"

After walking up for a while, he sat down on a small but flat surface, the ochre rock providing a sturdy hold.

"Char!"

Char poked his soil-stained khaki pants. He looked up at Draxel.

"Char!"

He pointed at his mouth.

Draxel looked down at Char, then slid his backpack off of his back.

"…"

He pulled out two granola bars and opened one. He gave it to Char, who began to wolf it down. He reclined on the cliff and slowly chewed on the other one. From where they were on the cliff surface, they had a pretty good view of Lorrestine.

"Hey. Kid."

In an instant, a shadow flew over him.

"Fearow! Aerial Ace!"

He grabbed Char and threw himself down on the flat ground, cringing as claws raked into his back. He felt blood. Pain.

"Hmph. Protecting a damn Pokémon? What kind of idiot are you?"

He got up, wincing in pain. Then he took a good look at his assailant.

"Fearow. The large bird Pokémon. It boasts a very sharp beak and can stay aloft for great periods of time."

On the Fearow's back rode a man holding a spear. A shiny, steel, legit spear.

"I'm looking for some prey. You'll be fine."

He twirled around the spear, then mounted his Fearow.

"Fearow! Quick Attack!"

Wasting no time, Draxel began to dash up the Cliffside towards the Lorrestine Gym.

"Char! Smokescreen!"

Char immediately obeyed, spewing a thick cloud of smoke from his mouth. Draxel ran up, apnting heavily.

"Got'cha!"

Draxel ducked as the spear slammed into the rock behind his head.

"Char! Ember!'

"Ember? Don't give me such a useless move! You won't make it to the gym, kid. I'm a proud member of Team Rising. And I won't let you run!"

With that, he yanked out his spear and slammed it at Draxel, who jumped up and grabbed the edge of the path above, throwing himself upwards onto the path above.

A bead of sweat rolled down his face. He was pretty high up the cliffside, and falling would be life-threatening.

"Damn it!"

He saw the gym; it was only a few meters above him. He decided to make a dash for it.

"Take THIS! Fearow! Drill Peck!"

Draxel cried out as the Fearow slammed its beak into his back, slicing into the muscle beneath. Blood pouring from his back, he jumped onto the flat surface in front of the gym.

"Char! Ember!"

Char began to fire embers at the Fearow. It easily dodged them all, then swooped down for the kill.

Char froze, terrified as the sharp beak and loud screech fell upon him.

"Char!"

Draxel dashed forward, sliding down. He grabbed Char and rolled to the side, the Fearow's beak slamming into the ground and missing its target.

"Seriously? Only a Randrake idiot would sacrifice himself for a Pokémon."

Draxel stared the guy down.

"Then where the HELL are YOU from?"

The man looked at him as if Draxel was just an annoying prick.

"Me? I'm from Sinnoh. Why the hell would you care?"

"…Then you're the one in the wrong."

Draxel stood up, ignoring the blood dripping to the ground.

He ran forward and punched the guy in the face, knocking him off of his mount.

"You're trying to destroy our region. Leave."

"…I will NOT. Why the hell should I bow down to a little prick with a weak Pokeemon? Rhydon! Go!"

He threw a Pokéball, a Rhydon materializing from it.

"Shoot! A rock and ground type!" Draxel swore.

"Now say your prayers, boy."

"Stop it." An unknown voice called.

A masked figure completely covered in black landed on the field.

"Wait a second… you're the ninja who kidnapped Kieren, aren't you?!"

Draxel narrowed his eyes.

"Char! Attack!"

"Kyro!"

Before Char could attack, Kyrofrein landed next to his partner, electricity-colored fur rippling with sparks.

"Shit." The assailant said as the ninja walked over to him.

"Shut up. I don't want to hear any more garbage from you."

The assailant narrowed his eyes.

"Really? Seriously? You? Who's younger than me? You who doesn't care about Team Rising's goals and only works for his own selfish goals?"

The ninja narrowed his eyes.

"Say what you will. Now leave."

The assailant spat, then mounted his Fearow.

"Rhydon, return."

He immediately flew off, and the ninja was gone in a flash.

* * *

"…Good job out there."

Leiger emerged from the gym, closing the door behind him.

"You did a commendable thing back there, protecting your Pokémon. For that, I laud you. Now, congratulations for reaching the gym. Get inside now; you'll need medical help soon."

Draxel walked over to Leiger.

"Why didn't you intervene?"

Leiger nodded his head.

"…People need to be in those kinds of situations to get stronger. Same for Pokémon. And besides, it was _your_ battle, was it not?"

Draxel lowered his head.

"I understand."

"Now, let's get you treated. Irvin! Get over here!"

"Yes boss!"

Immediately, a man with a Vibrava ran over from one of the training rooms.

The gym was basically an arena, with rooms branching off of it. There were lights that lit up the stone walls.

"Oh god. You're pretty badly injured. Come with me."

Irvin beckoned to Draxel, and Draxel decided to follow him. Irvin entered a hallway off of the arena.

Inside the hall, there were a number of rooms. Irvin stopped in front of one of them opened up the door, leading Draxel inside. Inside there was a bed with all kinds of first aid equipment on the tables.

"Get onto the bed."

Draxel did as asked, wincing as sharp spikes of pain dug into him. Char stood on a nearby table, watching.

"I'm going to remove your shirt. It's going to hurt a little bit."

With that, Irvin began to pull Draxel's shirt off.

"Hold still."

He grabbed an IV tube and placed it on the workbench.

"I'm going to get the nurse. Don't do anything reckless."

With that, Irvin walked out. The pattering of his boots hitting the ground resonated, then faded.

* * *

Char walked over to Draxel, looking down at the table.

"Char… it's not your fault."

"Chaaaar…."

Char stopped whining when he felt Draxel's warm hand on his head.

He looked back up.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

* * *

Draxel's mind was in turmoil. The ninja had appeared again, but had actually protected him. Perhaps the ninja wasn't an enemy. No. He was. He was part of Team Rising, the group he'd heard about that wanted to take over Randrake and turn it into a region like all of the rest. It was an organization that used political manipulation, corruption, torture, and brute force to achieve its goals.

Draxel thought about who the ninja really was. That Pokémon, Kyrofrein, wasn't a Pokémon he'd ever seen before in Prof. Tamarack's lab. But if it was partnered with a trainer, then why wasn't its data in the PokéDex database?

Ah.

Being in the PokéDex database but being one of a kind as far as the world knew would mean that Kyrofrein would lose all of his freedom. But the ninja wasn't a good guy. He was the type that would kill to eliminate his foes, even if they were innocent.

Draxel sighed. Thinking about all of it was too hard. He soon fell asleep without realizing it.

## Randrake Arc, May 14, AW667

"Argh… Where…am…"

He attempted to open his eyes. He moved around; his back felt fine. So…

He jolted up. He was completely surrounded by darkness, save for a small flame that barely illuminated the room. It was Char, fast asleep.

He stood up, reaching back and feeling his back. There was a rough series of slight bulges. Probably from where his back had been raked apart. Apart from that, the beak stab seemed to be gone. He stretched a bit. Not too much pain, although he didn't feel that great.

"Chaar…"

Char walked up to him, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh yeah. Char. Where are we?"

Char shook his head.

"Oh yeah. You were asleep too."

There was a static boom, which drew their attention.

"W…welcome to the Lorrestine Gym. This is Leiger, the gym leader, speaking. In front of you is a collection of weapons. Surrounding you are enemy Pokémon. Defeat them all!"

With that, the speakers went black.

Draxel looked around nervously, then picked up his PokéDex. His backpack wasn't with him, but in front of him were the weapons, all wooden. Swords, spears, nunchucks, staffs… all kinds of weapons.

He opened the PokéDex and pointed it at the weird lights that were appearing around him. He shuddered, as did Char. Why the hell was he suddenly in this cavern? He had to know.

"Elgyem. The cerebral Pokémon. It holds great psychic power and can cause headaches."

"Great. So now we're surrounded by unfamiliar Pokémon. Char, get ready!"

He grabbed the first weapon he saw, a sword. He was pretty sure he could use it.

He dashed forward and sliced, tripping on the ground and completely missing the target. He was immediately hit by a racking headache.

"Argh!"

He held his head, wincing in pain. It subsided. Looks like the sword wasn't his thing. Too heavy.

He retreated, then grabbed a staff.

"Chaar!"

Char yelled out as Draxel accidentally hit him. Another series of racking headaches hit him.

"Ugh! Damn it!"

He grabbed the nunchucks. Granted, he had no clue how to use them, but he had already failed epically with the sword and the staff, so why not try?

"Ha!"

He dashed forward, swinging while holding onto one of the bars.

It connected.

In an instant, the room lit up.

* * *

He was in a large underground arena. The other Elgyem began to move forwards.

"So I guess I'd better learn how to use these. Char! Let's go! Smokescreen!"

Char blasted smoke, blinding a number of enemies. Draxel, now that he could see clearly, swung again, smashing an Elgyem back. He swung it in the air a few times, the chain rattling in the air.

"Char! Ember!"

"Chaaaaaar!'

Out came a fiery blast more like the embers that other Charmander would use, not the usual tiny embers that Char usually spit out. The attack hit a number of Elgyem, which fell back.

"Ha!"

Draxel swung again, falling to his knees in order to hit the enemy more accurately. He smashed a few of them, which retorted with Confusion.

Draxel saw the distortions in the air and jumped back, spinning the nunchucks.

Then he bent his arm inwards and smashed himself on the chest. He hit the ground with a thud.

"Char! You can do this! Metal Claw!"

Char hesitated, unsure of whether he was capable of attacking.

"Char! You can do it!"

"Chaaaar!"

Char dashed forwards, claws slamming into the Elgyem.

"That's enough!"

Irvin opened the doors to the arena. He came in with his Vibrava, spinning nunchucks in the air.

"Good job, Draxel. Nice choice with the weapon too. I'll be your teacher until you learn how to fight with it."

Draxel sat up.

"Wh-what?"

Irvin let out a laugh.

"Hehe. It's been a long time since I was the one who had to take up a disciple."

"What do you mean by disciple?!"

Irvin blinked.

"Oh yeah. You don't know. Well, basically, Lorrestine Gym offers weapons training for trainers. You got beaten up, and most trainers need to know some form of self-defense in this region. So… you should learn how to use a weapon. You're young, so it shouldn't be too bad."

"Why are you doing this? I never-"

"It's free. It's for your own good. If your Pokémon can't protect you and you can't protect your Pokémon, then what good is it?"

Draxel nodded, then stood up.

"OK. Elgyem! You're free!"

He held out a capture styler.

"I'm a Pokémon Ranger. This is my partner, Vibrava. It's my job to help people."

He then held out his nunchucks.

"OK. Start by holding one of the bars at the tip, the side connected to the chain. Swing the nunchuck towards you while bending your arm. Swing up and catch the other bar in your armpit."

* * *

After a series of repeated failures, Draxel finally collapsed on the ground, sweating.

"…Not bad. Not bad. Anyways… come with me. You should get some breakfast."

Oh yeah. It was morning.

Draxel stood up and picked up Char. It was time to eat. The doors to the arena opened, revealing a bright dawn over the cliffside and a view of the verdant Southern Mountains.

"Come on! Let's go!"

A smile came to Draxel's face, and he followed Irvin out the door.

#####

So… that took a while, but I'm glad it's done. Now, time to see what'll come next~


	5. Chapter 5: The Student and the Master

P.S. I've begun to replace older chapters with updated and revised versions.

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 5: The Student and the Master**

## Randrake Arc, May 14, AW667

Draxel's stomach rumbled as he stepped out of the door onto the small butte. The arena he had been inside was built into a cliff, like the rest of the gym, and they were far above the ground and the mine. From their perch, the town of Lorrestine could be seen, surrounded by green and releasing an aura of tranquility.

"Come over." Irvin said. He sat by a steep cliff.

"There's bread and water at the top of the cliff. Go and climb with Char. Otherwise, you won't get breakfast. On that note, the water will evaporate if you're not fast enough. Alternatively, you can take the stairs, which loop around the mountain six times before reaching the top."

Draxel looked at the cliff, then looked at Irvin.

"A…Are you serious?"

Irvin nodded, then walked over to the cliff.

"I'll show you how it's done. You'll need to be physically fit in order to do anything in this region. Given that your Charmander will grow into a Charizard, it's also good for you to lose any fear of heights you have. Now, let me demonstrate.

He adjusted his Ranger gloves, stretched a bit, then grabbed ahold of the wall. With a grunt, he grabbed a handhold, then lifted himself up. He quickly scaled the wall, ignoring the fact that the cliff wasn't very far from a vertical slope. He soon reached the first loop of the stairs and pulled himself onto the flat ground.

"Come on and start climbing. The ground is pretty soft here, so you don't need to worry about dying if you fall."

Draxel looked over at Char, who climbed onto his shoulder.

"…Looks like I don't have much of a choice if I'm going to learn how to fight."

He grabbed the cliff face, then began to hoist himself up.

"Ugh… It's really hard."

He winced as he tried to pull himself up.

"If you can't take a large step, take a smaller one first." Irvin called from above.

Draxel held onto a closer hold, then managed to pull himself up and secure his feet in other holes. The ochre cliff wasn't too sandy, but it wasn't an easy climb either.

* * *

After a few hours of sweating in the heat, he managed to reach the first set of stairs. He pulled himself over, then stopped to catch his breath.

"I'm going to wait above."

Irvin grabbed hold of the rock face and began to climb the next set, Vibrava flying up alongside him as he quickly grabbed onto new holds and moved upwards.

"Damn… he's doing it so easily."

It was only about ten meters to the next set of stairs, but to Draxel, it seemed like 100. The stairs seemed to loop around for a long time, so he walked over and grabbed ahold of the rock.

Draxel immediately felt a strain in his arm and accidentally let go. As soon as he realized that he was falling, he thrust out his other hand, but it caught air. He cried out as he fell and hit the earth below.

* * *

Draxel's head hurt. His arms hurt. His back hurt. Everything hurt.

"Ow…"

He managed to crack his eyes open. He was lying on the ground, the evening sunset bearing down on him.

"Ugh. My back…"

"Chaaar!"

Char leaned over Draxel's face, the warm flame illuminating Char's face.

"…Char… Are you okay?"

"Char!"

"Thank goodness…"

Irvin sat at the next set of stairs, leg dangling over the cliff.

"When you're ready, you can climb or you can walk. I'll be waiting at the top."

With that, the Pokémon Ranger swung his legs back onto the path, stood up, and walked over to the next cliff.

"…You know, if you want to give up, you can just leave. No problems with you leaving. Most trainers give up after their first few days."

Draxel looked up.

"…I'm not going to give up like that. I'm going to make the most out of my time with Char."

With that, Char jumped onto his back and he grabbed ahold of the cliff.

"I'm going to climb, and I'm going to make it to the top of this cliff."

As soon as he said that, he began to climb.

* * *

He arrived at the top of the cliff after midnight. He was exhausted, the back of his neck red from the sun. His borrowed T-shirt was coated in sweat, and Char was about to keel over. Irvin was waiting outside a log cabin, sitting by a fireplace.

"There's the food and there's the water."

He pointed to a small stone slab with a half-full jug of water on it and a plate of fruit.

"Eat up."

Irvin stood up from the fireplace and stretched.

"You're in for some hardcore training."

Draxel nodded.

"Sure."

He imagined Marisa yelling at him about how he lacked patience. It seemed like he was going to have to be extra patient for the next who knows how long.

* * *

After he and Char emptied the food, Irvin opened the doors to the cabin.

"Come in. You're the only student right now, so it's just you and me."

"There's no electricity here. No running water either. You'll learn how to make do with what you have."

With that, Irvin entered the cabin, and Draxel followed.

The cabin was bigger than it seemed. It housed a main room with chairs and an empty space for training, and there was a bedroom off to the side.

"OK. Now… let me begin with your Charmander. Firstly, has he been toilet-trained?"

Draxel shook his head, wrinkling his nose at his memories of cleaning up.

"Well then. Get used to Char having to crap all of the time. Make sure he does it in the bushes or something. As a fire type, he'll be urinating much less often than a human, but make sure he can go if he needs to. It's important to keep the toxins out of his body."

Irvin dumped some bags on the table.

"This is your bag. Your things are inside, minus your PokéDex and Trainer Card, which we left with you. You should get to bed."

Irvin walked into the bedroom, taking his shoes off before entering the room. Once inside, he pulled off his uniform, leaving him in his T-shirt.

"You'll want sleep; you'll be getting more training when morning comes."

Irvin pulled himself onto a cot, and was asleep a few minutes later.

"…Char. I guess we should sleep too."

Draxel entered the room and got onto another cot, leaving Char on a stone slab.

"Good Night."

## Randrake Arc, May 15, AW667

"Mmm."

Draxel woke up parched and hungry, and extremely hot. The cot had suddenly turned hard and sandy and…

Oh. He was back on the cliff again.

He opened his eyes. His suspicions were confirmed. He pulled himself into a sitting position, feeling a little too much of a breeze.

He soon realized that he was in his underwear. Char was fast asleep next to him.

"Hey. Good morning. Today you get to run and battle all the way up."

Irvin was sitting a few levels above.

"I've captured wild Pokémon for you and Charmander to fight. There's a pair of nunchucks next to you. Use a forward strike to attack. Basically, from the ready position, you swing forward and hit the target before pulling back into the ready position. Good luck. You can try the cliff if you want. Breakfast is waiting halfway up."

With that, Irvin left. Draxel's stomach rumbled, as did Char's.

"Ugh. Might as well do it."

Draxel began to walk at first, the hard ground unfamiliar to his feet. It was going to get hotter later, and he knew that he had to go as quickly as possible.

* * *

"Char! Let's do this!"

After getting used to the hard earth beneath his feet, he began to walk faster, then began to jog up the dirt stairs.

The sun once more rose above the skies of Lorrestine. After running up for a while, the sun finally rose above the mountains. The heat starting to sear onto his back, he began to run faster, until he reached a small clearing.

"Hey."

He slowed down and soon stopped. There was a trainer in front of him.

"I'm a member of Lorrestine Gym. Let's see how your Pokémon fares in a battle."

Draxel was about to complain, but he was interrupted before he could speak.

"I don't care about whether or not your Pokémon is capable of winning. All I care about is if it has the will to fight. Go! Munchlax!"

About half a second later, a Munchlax had been set into battle.

"Munch?"

It cocked its head, then put a hand into its fur. After a little bit of rummaging, out came a small cookie, which it threw into its mouth.

"Munchlax. The glutton Pokémon. It is a hyperactive Pokémon that eats constantly and stores food in its long fur."

"Muchlax! Attack!"

"Char! Dodge!"

As Munchlax lumbered forward, Char dashed away.

"Char! Use ember and smokescreen!"

Char jumped up and began to fire blasts of flame and smoke at the Munchlax.

"Char! Run around it! Blast smokescreen!"

"M…munch?"

As smoke swallowed up the Munchlax and it got dizzy from trying to see Char, it collapsed and plopped down on the ground, face first.

The gym trainer nodded.

"…You did well. Munchlax, return."

As Munchlax was recalled, the gym trainer walked towards Draxel.

"There are wild Pokémon ahead. You'll have to get through them next. Good luck."

Draxel watched as the man walked back down towards the gym.

"Nice job Char. Let's do this!"

Char returned to Draxel's shoulder, and he continued to jog up the steps.

* * *

After a while, their path widened out into a clearing. A few Nincada stood in their way.

"Char! Ember!"

Still running, Draxel neared the Nincada and Char fired, the Nincada fleeing from the flames. As they regrouped, Char fired back at them, singing a few of them.

"Nice job!"

* * *

A few KO'd Nincada later, the two arrived, exhausted, at the midway point, where Irvin waited with some sandwiches in bags and water.

"…That wasn't too bad, I see. I expected you to have a harder time with the Pokémon. Well, time for practice."

Irvin held up his nunchucks, then swung them into the ready position with his right arm. He faced a training dummy that had been set up, then delivered a frontal strike on it, smashing one staff down onto the dummy. He repeated it a few times with his right arm, then did it with his left arm.

"Make sure that you train both of your arms. Now practice hitting accurately, controlling the nunchucks, and returning to the ready position. In a few hours, be at the cabin. I'll have you do basic exercises there."

* * *

Draxel returned to the cabin exhausted, arms tired from striking a training dummy for so long.

"So how was it?"

Draxel glared at Irvin.

"My left arm hurts a LOT."

Irvin chuckled.

"Being ambidextrous has its advantages. Come on in. Eat."

* * *

At the table, steak was on both Draxel's and Char's plates.

"Char needs meat to grow, so I decided to bring steak today." Irvin said.

"…OK"

"…What's wrong?"

Draxel looked up at Irvin.

"It's just that… I never expected to be doing this kind of training."

Irvin nodded.

"That's quite fine. Pretty much every powerful Pokémon Trainer in Randrake can wield some kind of weapon. We Rangers are also trained in basic combat."

"OK. I understand that."

"…Well, after dinner, you get to rest. Tomorrow, you'll be doing more exercises. Get a good night's sleep tonight."

## Randrake Arc, May 16, AW667

Around dawn, Draxel woke up. He was glad to see that he was dressed and still on his bed. He quietly exited the bedroom and then the cabin.

The sun was only beginning to rise, a slight halo visible over the mountains. Through the air above Lorrestine flew a surprising silent helicopter, "RISING" painted onto its body. It was obviously Team Rising.

* * *

"…What are the orders?"

The speaker was a man wearing a black sleeveless fur vest and ripped black jeans. He was reclining in the back of the helicopter, feet crossed on the table in front of him. A Luxray stood by him, growling silently.

"Just say the damn orders!" he commanded, pissed off.

"I… I don't know, sir! All I know is that… uh…"

"Oh forget it. You're not being helpful. Are you saying that we came all the way out here for _nothing_?"

"N…no sir! I meant that the ninja that joined us was seen around Lorrestine! Th-"

"Really? And why the hell did we have to come all the way out here - the middle of nowhere? Pilot, turn back! This stupid crap is getting on my nerves."

"Y…yes Admin Freyfur!"

Freyfur swore under his breath as he hung up. He reclined back into the chair and put a toned arm on Luxray.

"…Sorry to wake you up, partner."

* * *

As the helicopter turned away and flew off, Draxel looked at the rising sun. Gradually light began to illuminate the plains and forests. Sunlight spattered on the mountain on which Draxel was sitting. A new dawn had arrived.

* * *

Draxel returned to the cabin and reentered the bedroom. He took a good look at Irvin. Irvin was pretty solidly built, with well-toned arms and legs. His pectoral and abdominal muscles were prominent under his shirt. He had rather spiky black hair, and, for the most part, looked like an ordinary person. Vibrava was asleep next to him.

"Mmm…"

Irvin yawned, scratching his chest and shifting in bed.

"…You know… Draxel… you should really just go out and start climbing and running… It's weird to have a little kid watching me as I wake up. I look really weak and boring like this. And besides… I need time for… adult things."

Draxel blinked.

"…Oh. He talked."

"…Of course I talked. Now go out and run down to the Gym and get breakfast for the both of us. You'll have to get back before noon. Shouldn't take that long, but… yeah. Vibrava, go and show him the way."

Vibrava buzzed its wings as it floated upwards into the air. It zipped out the door.

"Chaaaaaarrr…"

"Char, wake up."

Char yawned again, then rubbed his eyes.

"Char…?"

Upon seeing Draxel awake, Char slowly walked over and climbed up Draxel's arm, regaining his perch on Draxel's shoulder.

"Char!"

More energetic, Char nipped Draxel.

"OK. Looks like you're ready. Let's go!"

#####

And so Chapter 5 ends. I wanted to continue it, but I got the scene with Irvin being normal-ish in, so I decided to leave it at that.

And yeah. I'm concocting a lot of names by taking an existing word and modifying it slightly. All of the Rising Admins will have their names from Guardian Cross, edited slightly. Look forward to the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Strength and Battle

Here's Chapter 6!

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 6: Strength and Battle**

## Randrake Arc, May 20, AW667

It was the 7th day of training. Draxel woke up early, then went out for a jog. The sunrise burned into the surface of the mountains, and had done so to his skin as well. In only a week, he had gained the ability to run up and down the mountain steps quickly and safely, and he was now able to scale the cliffs from the arena to the cabin in under three hours, a massive feat considering how long it took him at first. The baby fat that coated his body was starting to be eaten away, and he now sported a tan from all of the exposure to the sun.

Char too was getting used to the training. He was energetic as usual, now gaining proficiency with his embers and smokescreens. He had grown a bit too. He wasn't as tall as most Charmanders at his age, but he was getting there. His tail glowed brightly under the sunlight.

In his weapon training, Draxel had only begun, but was gaining control of his nunchucks. He no longer smashed himself in the head or missed targets in front of him. With the speed increase came an increase in power, and the only attack he knew, the frontal strike, was now hissing through the air.

* * *

Draxel arrived at the Lorrestine Gym as soon as the sun rose above the mountains.

"It's me, Draxel! Coming i-"

He suddenly sensed the door being opened with a good amount of force, and he kicked back, somersaulting a few times before landing. It was a technique that he had learned when evading short range strikes from Irvin's nunchucks.

"Char!"

Char jumped off onto the ground, a little dizzy from the somersaults.

"Oh. Sorry."

The door swung open with enough force to dislocate it, and out came a teenaged boy with flaming red hair that spiked upwards. He wore a red sleeveless vest and sports shorts emblazed with the Rising City Gym badge.

Draxel stood up, dusted off his pants, then looked over at the other boy.

"Geez. You could have hit me pretty hard, you know."

"Oh. Sorry about that. I was sort of pissed that the Gym Leader wasn't here. My sister was all 'Beat Leiger and get the Slate Badge and then I'll let you battle me.' Such a pain."

"Your sister?"

The boy blinked in surprise.

"Huh? You don't know me? Everyone I meet knows me. It's sort of weird. I'm Ataer Tarnesia, the younger brother of the _famous_ Sylphe Tarnesia."

Draxel cocked his head to the side.

"…Uh… Isn't she the Rising City…Oh. That explains the crest on your shorts."

Ataer nodded.

"…Well, that was interesting. Never thought I'd ever live to find someone who didn't know me. It's so irritating to be stalked by fangirls and to be hated upon by pretty much every guy my age."

Ataer clicked his sneakers against the ground, sighing.

"Anyways, Leiger's not here. Want to battle?"

Draxel looked over at Char.

"Want to battle?"

Char nodded, then stepped forward.

"Ok then. Come on out! Fletchling! Flame Charge!"

From the sky shot down a small robin-like bird, which immediately barreled into Char, knocking him back. It flew back up, looping around in the sky before landing on Ataer's shoulder.

Char stood up, rubbing his head.

Draxel looked at the bird closely. It was pretty small, but it was extremely fast.

Ataer pointed at Char.

"Acrobatics!"

Fletchling immediately began to fly around, flipping over, whirling around, and spinning. Char tried to find an opening in which to blast flames, but he settled on a smokescreen. As soon as he cast, an Aerial Ace smashed into him from above.

"Char! Hang in there! Predict where it's going to go next!"

Char regained his concentration, then fired. Fletchling barely evaded, a few tail feathers singed.

Ataer raised an eyebrow.

"You're not bad."

"Well, I started out a little over a week ago. I've been training here at the Lorrestine Gym for a week. I came down to get breakfast."

Ataer smiled.

"Oh. Are you training with a weapon?"

"Yeah. And you?"

Ataer shook his head.

"I fight with my fists. In theory at least. In truth, since my sister is basically a model, I've never actually gotten a chance to fight someone. I got to Lorrestine by private jet."

Ataer stepped forward.

"Are you still into a battle? Fletchling really doesn't have much battle experience yet."

"Char doesn't have much experience either. But I'd prefer to get breakfast."

With that, Char jumped onto Draxel's shoulder, and Draxel jogged into the gym.

* * *

Draxel came out with a package containing fruit, bread, and water. He sat outside the entrance to the gym and began to wolf down the food with Char. Ataer watched, fascinated.

"…I…I've never seen someone cram food into his mouth that fast."

Fletchling tweeted a little song that sounded remarkably sarcastic. Ataer nodded in agreement.

"What? And… oh yeah. I need to be up at the cabin soon. See you later!"

With that, Draxel threw the remains of the breakfast in the garbage and began to job up towards the cabin.

"H…hey! Wait!"

Ataer ran after him, then gagged when Draxel jumped upwards and began to scale the cliff.

"Crap!"

He immediately began to sprint up the stairs.

* * *

Draxel arrived at the cabin after about one and a half hours of jogging and scaling. A record for him, though Irvin was the type to climb it in about half an hour. He looked down to see Ataer about halfway up, running at a steady pace.

"Y…You k…know… this… kind of… training… is… really… really… hard!"

Fletchling landed by Draxel's feet and chirped.

"Fl…fletchling!... I…wish…I…could…fly…as…fast…as…you!"

Draxel sat down and crossed his legs. It was going to be quite the wait.

About half-an-hour later, Irvin emerged from the cabin.

"Is there a guest?" he asked, throwing on his Ranger vest.

"…Sort of. Leiger wasn't there, and he's been following me up ever since we met down at the bottom. His name's Ataer."

Irvin nodded his head.

"Vibrava! Check to see if his escorts are here!"

Vibrava blasted off immediately.

Draxel looked over at Irvin.

"Escorts?"

Irvin shook his head.

"…He's ALWAYS followed by escorts. We'll have to get either him or the escorts to leave. The former is easier to remove, but…"

Irvin jogged over to the cliff.

"I highly doubt that the escorts will make it up this far. Worst case scenario, we can deter them and avoid whatever headaches they will bring."

* * *

After waiting for a few more minutes, Vibrava returned.

"Hmm? Oh."

Irvin looked over at Draxel.

"…They're at the Gym, expecting him to be there. That's good for us. I'll go down and make sure that there aren't any problems. I'll talk to At-"

*Pant* *Pant*

Ataer, running hard, arrived at the top. He staggered forward, then stopped, gasping for breath. Fletchling alighted on his shoulder, then sang a song of content.

"So…I guess… I arrived."

He faced Draxel and Irvin.

"So… interesting place… you have up here…"

With that, he collapsed on the ground.

* * *

Irvin coughed.

"Bring him into the bedroom. Give him some water. That's all for now. I'm going down. I'll deal with the escorts if or when they come. If you meet them, make sure that they don't injure themselves."

Irvin ran over towards the cliff and began to run down the steps.

* * *

"I… guess I overdid it." Ataer said, chuckling.

"…Seriously, get a drink."

Draxel returned with a cup of water, which Ataer swallowed in large gulps.

"Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver."

"No problem. But you seriously ran up all of those steps?"

Ataer chuckled.

"Of course. I'm used to heights, being from Rising City. The city is at the top of a mountain, after all."

Fletchling landed by Ataer's side and began to chirp.

"Fletchling. The robin Pokémon. Flying at great speeds, it also sings beautifully. It possesses the ability to surround itself in flame."

Fletchling tweeted harmoniously for a little while.

"…Uh…It's getting hot and I don't think I can stand up…" Atar commented.

"Oh! Sorry! I forgot that I was supposed to bring you inside."

Draxel and Char began to lift Ataer up.

"Ugh! You're… so… heavy…"

Draxel knelt down and then hoisted Ataer up off of the ground. Ataer steadied himself and stood up, shaky but supported by Draxel.

"Thanks."

They walked across the flat ground and entered the cabin.

* * *

"Umph!"

Ataer collapsed onto the cot, exhausted. Fletchling landed by him and hopped over to his face. He sang a little song, folded its legs, then fell asleep.

A few hours later, it was noon. Irvin arrived back at the cabin with food.

"…If you want to eat, there's food. After you eat, I'm going to talk to Ataer. His escorts have given up, so it's up to him if he wants to stay or not."

"He's going to stay?" Draxel asked.

"…Depends on what he wants. Either way, come out with your nunchucks. I want to see you do a frontal strike after a dash forward."

* * *

In the evening, Irvin, Draxel, and Ataer sat at the table in the cabin.

"…So, Ataer. Do you want to stay and train here, or do you want to leave? It's completely up to you."

"Yeah, I want to train."

"…That was a fast reply. Very well then."

Irvin stood up.

"Both of you, outside. 20 sets of 15 push-ups. Pokémon ride on your backs. Now go!"

The next few days were organized in a way so that the two trainees never saw each other. However… that was about to change.

## Randrake Arc, May 27, AW667

It had been 2 weeks of training. Char was now spewing heavy flames and slashing with metal claws. Draxel had successfully learned to not hit himself with his weapons, and he had noticed that his baby fat was giving way to muscle.

As for Ataer, it seemed that he was smashing things pretty often given the piles of cracked wood and obliterated training dummies.

* * *

Draxel woke up late.

"Mmm…"

He hit his head against the cabinet next to the bed and slipped off. He hit the floor like usual and hunched over, rubbing his eyes.

'"Chaaar."

Char chuckled a bit.

"…Again?"

Ataer walked into the room, Fletchling on his shoulder.

"…When was the last time you _didn't_ fall out of bed in the morning?"

He sighed.

"…Not that it matters. Irvin always makes us wake up early."

He stretched, yawning. He wore gloves and arm warmers now, and his flaming red hair fell over his face.

"…Well, there's a note for the both of us. It says that we're to be at the Lorrestine Gym soon."

"Really?" Draxel got out of his bedsheets and walked over, stretching and yawning.

"Well, let's go!"

And with that, Draxel was out of the cabin.

* * *

"So they've arrived."

Leiger waited in the arena, Graveler next to him.

"…A gym battle is a gym battle, whether or not it is official."

"Graveler, go! Rock Tomb!"

As soon as the two trainers entered the building, rocks began flying.

"Char! Look out! Metal Claw!"

"Fletchling! Three o'clock! Flame Charge downwards!"

Char slammed a claw into the rock, smashing it apart. Fletchling dove down, the boulder completely missing.

"Ha!"

Draxel stepped forward, nuchucks smashing an incoming rock.

"Welcome to the Lorrestine Gym. As you two know, I am Leiger, gym leader. Today we will partake in a double battle for the Slate Badge."

Irvin walked out from one of the training rooms. He threw up a Pokéball.

"Vibrava! Go!"

Vibrava materialized, then landed on the ground.

"Better now then never." Draxel said, whipping out his PokéDex.

"Vibrava. The vibration Pokémon. It releases ultrasonic waves that can cause headaches."

"Graveler. The rock Pokémon. It rolls down mountain paths to travel, often colliding with travelers."

"Char! Metal Claw on Graveler!"

Char dashed forwards, claws shining.

"Chaaaaar!"

Char struck down, delivering a solid blow to Graveler. Graveler held its ground, flinching but staying still.

"Fletchling! Flame Charge on Vibrava!"

Ataer pointed straight at Vibrava, Fletchling flying straight down the path and smashing into the small dragon.

"Vibrava! Twister!"

Irvin jumped to the side as Vibrava conjured up a sharp whirl of air. Fletchling was caught, thrown from side to side in the vortex.

"Char! Light the vortex on fire!"

Char jumped away from Graveler and blasted flames at the vortex, the twister erupting into a flame storm.

"Fletchling. Use the flame! Flame Charge at Graveler!"

Fletchling emerged from the storm aflame, then charged.

"Char! Smokescreen the twister!"

Char burst smoke at the twister, then continued to cook it, Vibrava stuck in the center.

"Now!" Ataer yelled out. Fletchling smashed down onto Graveler, knocking it over.

"Char! Metal claw on Graveler!"

Char dashed at Graveler, which didn't have time to react, and smashed a clawed fist into it, sending it rolling.

"Fletchling! Fl-"

"Vibrava! Dragon Pulse!"

Vibrava burst out of the twister relatively unharmed, then blasted a Dragon Pulse at Fletchling, knocking him out of the sky.

"Fletchling!"

Fletchling hit the ground, and was immediately recalled.

"Ch-"

"Rock Tomb."

Char dodged desperately as rocks started landing near him. He slashed his way through them, desperately trying to avoid being hit. Then, he was hit by a full power Dragon Pulse.

"Char! Return!" Draxel held up the Pokéball, then watched as the red light returned to him.

"…That was a good match. I see that you both have potential." Leiger said.

He turned away.

"…I will eventually call both of you back here. Hone your skills."

#####

And that's the end of Chapter 6. Rate and Review!


	7. Chapter 7: Loss and Recovery

Here's Chapter 7! Now the action starts!

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 7: Loss and Recovery**

## Randrake Arc, May 27, AW667

"…That sucked."

Draxel and Ataer trudged up the stairs back towards the cabin.

"…We were pretty close to winning." Ataer said.

"…But they were too strong. I thought Vibrava would have been hurt more than _that_." Draxel replied, looking down at the ground.

"…Yeah."

* * *

It was noon, and they had a lot of training to do.

* * *

"So. This is the first time we've trained together, eh?" Ataer said.

"Basically, yeah."

Draxel ripped out his nunchucks swung them a few times in the air, then stepped forward, slamming the aluminum training nunchucks onto a rock. The staff hit the rock with a nice crack and it immediately returned to his armpit.

"Irvin said that I'm almost good enough to survive with it. I can strike and swing it with relative ease now."

Ataer nodded.

"He was a hellish trainer for me. I've never had the crap beaten out of me so many times. I've been bruised a lot, since he's punched me hard a lot of times."

"Really? He's never actually attacked me with nunchucks."

"…Probably because it's more for show then for actually beating people up in your case. He wants us to be able to defend ourselves."

Ataer sighed and sat down on a rock.

"…My arms hurt. I've been doing so many basic exercises over and over again that my entire body feels hard and tight and unfamiliar. Check this out."

Ataer flexed a bicep.

"It's sore, but in just one week, I feel like I got a lot stronger."

Draxel nodded.

"Yeah. Except running up and down the stairs and climbing cliffs all day gets tiring."

He stood up and stretched.

"Char. I think we should have training together. After all, you haven't really been doing much training. You've been running around and flinging fireballs and stuff, but that's not enough. We'll practice your metal claw; it'll be the key to taking out that Graveler."

Char nodded, then jumped onto his spot on Draxel's shoulder.

"Chaaaaaar!"

There was a ringing sound.

"Hmm?"

Ataer pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"…It's sis."

He put the phone to his ear.

"Yes sis?"

"Ataer… you're in the Lorrestine Area, right?"

"Yes. Why do-"

"Get out of there. Team Rising has decided to launch a campaign to take control over the mines. They've decided that force will be used if they can't get a contract. I don't want you to get caught in the mess. It's for your own good."

"…I'm training. I think I'll stay."

"What are you talking about? You couldn't take out Leiger?"

"…No. I failed."

"…Fine. But I don't care. Get out of there."

"Look, sis. I want to battle you. And you said-"

"Just get out of there! You can battle me or whatever! Just don't get caught up in the fighting!"

Ataer hung up.

"…I'm going to stay and beat Leiger. Will you stay too?"

Draxel nodded.

"Of course. If I can't beat Leiger, how am I supposed to make it to the Pokémon League?"

Ataer chuckled.

"Looks like we're in this together then!"

"So let's skip training and beat up some Rising ass!"

* * *

Irvin stood at the base of the mountain, watching the helicopter land.

"Hell. Little over a week and I'm back here."

Freyfur stepped out of the helicopter, accompanied by a large man and his Bronzong, a teenage girl with an Umbreon, and the ninja.

Freyfur took a step forward, Luxray's fur crackling with electricity.

"Partner. Calm down."

The large man wore a gray flannel suit emblazoned with the Mirror Badge. He stepped forward.

"I am Mountaintop City's Gym Leader, Varon Gates. I am here to negotiate the contract with Leiger."

The girl coughed.

"I honestly don't care about this economic stuff at all. I'm Auratia's Gym Leader, Nerissa. Nice to meet you, Ranger."

The ninja was silent, so Freyfur stepped forward.

"And of course, I am Rising Admin Freyfur Graystrom. I am here to make sure that everything proceeds smoothly. If it happens to… not go in our favor, I am afraid that I will be forced to lead the attack."

Irvin nodded, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Vibrava. You can evolve now. No need to limit your potential anymore."

Vibrava glowed, then changed form. He blasted up into the sky, then came down as a fully evolved Flygon.

"Leiger's orders were to fight. There will be no contract. There will be no negotiations. There will be no ceding of Lorrestine's existence as an independent city-state to a political party based on violence alone."

Varon nodded in understanding.

"I understood that that might be the unfortunate outcome. You are but a Pokémon Ranger, right? Please leave, or we will be forced to attack you."

Irvin stood his ground, stalwart.

"I will not move."

With that, the miners began to walk out of the mine entrance, and gym trainers walked out from behind the cliffs to meet the Rising Admins.

"And neither will they."

Freyfur coughed.

"…Must I sully my hands with blood?"

Irvin coughed.

"I would have thought you to be a very violent person just by looking at you."

Freyfur scowled.

"I graduated top of my class from Streitstram University with a BS in Pokémon Biology. I'm actually a very nice person."

He pulled the chain from his pants off and swung it in the air, revealing it to be a kusari-gama. He caught the scythe end, and looked over at the crowd.

"…Leave and let us get through to Leiger or we will be forced to attack."

"We will not move."

* * *

"You know what, just get out of the way!"

Nerissa stepped forward and held up her tranquilizer gun.

"Umbreon! Take out their Pokémon!"

She began firing, hitting her targets cleanly. Those hit almost immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Umbreon! Faint Attack!"

"Flygon! Dragon Pulse!"

"Bronzong! Block it!"

Bronzong moved into position, taking the hit directly.

"Tch."

Bronzong was completely unscathed by the attack.

Varon stepped forward.

"…None of your elemental attacks will work on Bronzong's defenses," he said.

Irvin looked at the other trainers, who were being shot down one by one.

"Move, damn it! You're being attacked!"

Suddenly, the area broke into chaos.

"Crap!"

Irvin jumped onto Flygon, who took off into the air.

"Partner. Let's go ahead and let Nerissa and Varon take care of these grunts."

As Freyfur stepped forward, the ninja burst ahead, riding Kyrofrein.

"H…hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Draxel and Ataer arrived at the Lorrestine Gym just in time to see the fighting begin. An older boy landed on the ground, recalling his Pokémon before landing. He had light blue electric-colored hair and wore a sleeveless aqua vest and black pants adorned with pale flames at the bottom.

"Hey."

Draxel blinked for a moment. That voice was slightly familiar. Probably his imagination.

The boy walked over to the two.

"I'm Stryer Reinward. The battle's already started. Are you going to fight?"

"Who's down there?" Draxel asked.

"Irvin, Rising Admin Freyfur, Rising Admin and Auratia Gym Leader Nerissa, and Mountaintop City Gym Leader Varon Gates."

Irvin rose up to the gym on Flygon.

"Draxel! Ataer! Get Leiger! There's no way we can stand up to them when Nerissa is taking out both humans and Pokémon!"

"Taking out humans?!" Ataer asked.

"Yes; she has a tranquilizer gun! And she's taking them out with frightening accuracy! They won't hold much longer!"

"Let's go down-"

"No! You won't go down there. You're not going to risk your lives; that's our job!"

With that, Irvin swooped over them and entered the airspace. Instantly, Irvin had blown a whistle, and bird Pokémon were flocking to him.

"Boys!"

Leiger walked out of the gym.

"Those Rising goons are at it again, eh?"

He walked over to the pathway.

"We're going to show those Rising goons that they won't win this place by force."

"…"

There was silence as Varon stepped up to the gym.

"Good day, Leiger."

He placed his briefcase down on the ground and stepped forward.

"…It seems that Nerissa has… overstepped the limits of what is acceptable. For that, I must apologize. However, I am still interested in negoti-"

"You well know that I will refuse your offer." Leiger replied.

Varon nodded in understanding.

"Of course. And therefore, this contract must be made by force. Today, I will become the new governor of Lorrestine."

Leiger scowled.

"Over my dead body!"

"Then so be it. Over your dead body, the contract shall be made."

Graveler landed in front of Leiger, and Bronzong floated in front of Varon.

"Bronzong. Mirror Shot."

"Graveler! Rollout!"

In an instant, Graveler was smashed back into the gym door. The light faded, and Graveler fell to the ground, unconscious.

"…Now what will you do? It should be obvious why you're not qualified to be a Randrake League Gym Leader."

Leiger fell to his knees.

"You… won't… take this city away from me an the people that live here."

"…Randrake will want corporate investment in the future, as will this city. That is the future. By uniting Lorrestine with Randrake as its Governor, this city will reach greater heights and become even more beautiful and grand."

"…At what cost to the peace and prosperity of the people that live here?" Leiger asked.

He stood up.

"…You won't take Lorrestine away."

Varon coughed.

"Unfortunately, there is nobody here that can match me."

"Yes there is."

In an instant, Bronzong fell to the ground, unconscious and surrounded by a layer of ice.

The next moment, Stryer was gone.

"W…when did he leave?!" Ataer asked, shivering as the cold hit him."

Varon's face contorted. It expressed anger, frustration, hate.

"M…My precious Bronzong."

He turned around, recalled his partner, then walked towards the path.

"…You win today, Leiger. Consider _his_ help to be in your favor."

With that, Varon left.

"No fair! I didn't get to shoot Leiger down!" Nerissa complained.

"…Shut up." Freyfur responded. "We're going back to Headquarters."

In the back seats, Varon stood blankly at the chair in front of him.

"What's up with him?"

"…Don't know, never will. He's a mysterious person." Freyfur responded.

Nerissa faced the ninja.

"…Don't ask me. I don't know."

Varon looked at the ninja with a deep resentment, then returned to brooding.

* * *

Back at the Lorrestine Gym, Leiger sat in his office, disheveled and distressed.

"…Leiger."

Irvin walked into the room and faced his boss.

"…Irvin. Thank you for what you've done. However… I see little hope here. I too must get stronger. Send the children off and go with them. Contact the Ranger Union and see what can be done. This isn't a place for someone of your caliber to stay, and you know that."

"…Are you sure about this, Leiger?"

"I am very much sure."

Leiger stood up and faced Irvin squarely.

"Irvin Revratior. Go. Show that the future of this region matters. Prove that our way of life can coexist alongside that of the outside world.

"…I understand."

Around midnight, Irvin arrived back at the cabin.

"I guess I'll tell them tomorrow. No purpose in telling them now."

#####

And that's Chapter 7, marking the end of the Randrake Arc. Please rate and review!


	8. Chapter 8: The World Outside the Mount

Chapter 8 has arrived, as has a new arc.

######

**The Flame of Destiny: Chapter 8: To the World Outside of the Mountains**

## The World Outside of the Mountains, May 28, AW667

"Wake up, you two."

Draxel's head spun. There was a throbbing pain in his head, and his vision swam. Dizzy, he turned around on his side, trying to avert the pain and return to the peaceful joy of a soft bed.

"Char!"

Char landed on Draxel, who remained in bed despite the lizard poking his face.

"Ugh… I don't feel so great."

He rolled over and yawned.

"Chaaaaaar!"

"Char… give me a…"

Fletchling chirped, sounding extremely critical of Draxel for some reason.

"…Fine. I'll get up."

Draxel sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Irvin sighed, shook his head, then looked at the two boys.

"…Listen, you two. We're leaving Lorrestine for the mountains. I'm going to be going to Revenstrake to report to the Ranger Union. I'm to accompany you two until we can see Rejernia City. No complaining now. Get up."

Ataer stood up, yawning. Fletchling landed on his shoulder and tweeted.

"Rejernia… but I still-"

"Leiger's left the gym. He's training hard, so let him be. Losing to Varon so easily has hurt him more than you'd think. Seeing his partner getting taken out in a single attack wasn't that great of an experience for him. Now. Let's go. Draxel! Get up!"

"…OK…" he said wearily, dredging himself up.

* * *

After packing their bags, the three regrouped outside of the cabin.

"You need to make the Pokémon Center at the base of the mountains by sunset. It's on a paved road, but you'll be walking. I'll be waiting for you at the Pokémon Center."

With that, Irvin jumped onto Flygon, who immediately jumped off the cliff and flew off towards the sunrise.

"…Damn. He left really quickly. And when did his Vibrava evolve, anyway?"

Ataer shook his head.

"Well, might as well go!"

They reached the Lorrestine Gym in about an hour, used to going down the cliffs. As expected, Leiger wasn't there.

"Hey. Is Leiger-"

"No." a gym trainer said, arm in a sling from where he had been hit by the tranquilizer gun.

"…What kind of Pokémon gave you that injury?" Draxel asked.

The trainer shook his head.

"Nerissa herself smashed her tranquilizer gun onto my arm and cracked the bone. That girl is VICIOUS. But she's a respected Gym Leader."

Draxel blinked in confusion.

"Gym Leaders came too?"

The gym trainer nodded.

"Oh yes. You're from Reinsgard. You wouldn't know about Team Rising."

He faced Ataer.

"You're Ataer, right? You can explain it better than I can. I have to go now so… good luck on your journey."

"Thanks."

They turned around and began to walk towards the path down.

"So… who's-"

Ataer coughed, then spoke.

"According to Irvin, we were attacked by a Ninja, Varon Gates, Nerissa Amoria, and Freyfur Graystrom. Varon Gates is a powerful businessman and the Gym Leader of Mountaintop City. He's the one who took out Leiger's Graveler in one shot with his Bronzong. Nerissa is a sadistic, belligerent genius girl. She's a prodigy and has always been alone, save for her partner Umbreon. She's a Gym Leader and a Rising Admin. Freyfur Graystrom is a tall, ripped dude who's actually a Pokémon nurse. Despite the fact that he's a qualified nurse, he's pretty tough and his partner Luxray is equally strong. I don't know why he's in Team Rising at all, but he's not to be underestimated."

Draxel nodded.

"You know a lot."

Ataer shook his head.

"Not really. Except for Varon, I really don't know much about the others expect for what I've been told. Varon's a very nice person, but he never budges when it comes to possessing more money. He's a philanthropist whose gym is well known as one of the most architecturally impressive in the entire world. It's practically a mansion. He's used the money he's gotten for all kinds of charities. However, he wants to bring Randrake into the future as well, and that is why he is a business associate for Team Rising. He enjoys his power and his status a lot."

"So Varon's not a bad guy?"

"Not… bad. I'd say that he's more… detached from the culture of Randrake. He's from Sinnoh, and has lived here for about 12 years now."

Draxel nodded, and the two stepped onto the flat road back to Lorrestine.

* * *

"…So, what do you want to talk about?"

The sun bore down upon the two boys as they walked along the asphalt road.

"Well… I don't know. All of this stuff about Team Rising is really unfamiliar."

"That's normal. They really don't come this far into the mountains. They have admins stationed everywhere, though. You can't walk into a city in Randrake these days that doesn't have some influence from Team Rising. Usually it's just a building in town, but they've funded all kinds of things. That's why it's so hard to combat them politically."

Draxel nodded.

"I sort of understand."

Ataer nodded back, then pointed forwards at Lorrestine.

"Let's get a bite to eat."

* * *

Ataer stopped in front of a restaurant called "The Lazy Geodude." It was adorned with slate and marble, and smack in the center of the entrance was a live Geodude.

"…Is this really a restaurant?" Draxel asked, peeking down at the Geodude.

"Chaaar…." Char looked up at Ataer, who nodded.

"Yup. This is a restaurant. Let's go in."

He stepped in.

"Two."

The waitress at the front stepped out from behind her booth.

"Of course. Please follow me."

* * *

Ataer looked back at Draxel.

"Draxel! Come in!"

"O-OK!"

Draxel walked in. Eating out was an unfamiliar experience for him.

Inside, Ataer was sitting down at a table, and Draxel pulled out the seat across from him.

"What's wrong?" Ataer asked.

"Well… I've never eaten in a restaurant before. Should I-"

Ataer interrupted him, chuckling.

"I'll pay for it. Don't worry. Just sit down and relax."

The waitress arrived with the lunch menu.

"Here you go. What would you like to drink?"

Draxel stared and gaped.

"Uh…..uh…..water?"

The waitress gave him a funny look.

"Kids these days…"

* * *

After the waitress left, Draxel's face was red with embarrassment.

"Hey, it's fine. There's a first time for everything, you know."

Fletchling sang a song of agreement from his perch on Ataer's shoulder.

"Chaaar…"

Char nuzzled Draxel, who was covering his face with his hands and sighing in embarrasment.

"Char. Char."

Char poked Draxel a few times.

"Char… sorry about that. I look like a total idiot."

Draxel raised his head back up.

"Thanks, Ataer. I don't know what I'd do without someone from the outside to help me out."

"No problem. You're my junior after all. "

After the meal, they headed out of the restaurant.

"…That was surprisingly good." Draxel said. He had never eaten such unusual salad before. He was still a little frightened about what mushrooms he had eaten.

"…Uh… yeah. I think it would be wise to…uh… go somewhere more… customary."

Ataer looked over the neatly paved roads.

"This city is really beautiful. I really hope that it's still like this when we return."

"Oh! Isn't that… ATAER! Quick! Get his autograph!"

Ataer looked around.

"Oh crap. _Fangirls_. The bane of my existence. Come on, Draxel! Let's get out of here!"

And so they left Lorrestine, the town of slate.

* * *

"Such a long walk."

The path west of Lorrestine to the mountains was another straight path cutting through brush and rocky landscape. To Draxel, the landscape was unfamiliar and exotic, but Ataer seemed perfectly bored. Char looked around taking in every Sandshrew, every scurrying Diglett.

"…That sure was disappointing, not being able to beat Leiger."

"Well, he crushed us, and we can't stay any longer. Might as well get some real Gym Badges."

"Yeah. Nice point," Ataer said as he looked up at the sun.

"You know, this region is really beautiful. Forests, mountains… and Team Rising wants to destroy all of that and replace it with cities and technology. I mean, it's not a bad thing, but… it's not what we need. It's bad for Pokémon but good for humans. We need to keep our Randrake the way it is."

Ataer looked back at the road ahead.

"…Randrake has a legend. A legend that states that one blessed with the ability to speak to Pokémon will appear every few centuries. That person is said to be the savior of Randrake, the one who will avert crises. I wonder if there's any truth to that…"

Draxel looked at Char.

"What do you think?"

"Char!" Char said, poking Draxel's cheek.

"…It's definitely not you." Ataer said, chuckling.

* * *

They arrived at the Pokémon Center at the base of the mountains late at night. The asphalt path turned up towards the mountains, the road lit by streetlights and fluorescent markers. The forested road seemed to go on forever, winding through the mountains.

"Hey. Looks like you made it."

Irvin reclined against the walls of the slate walls of the Pokémon Center, beckoning over to the two.

"Well, looks like we can sleep now!" Ataer said cheerfully.

"Incorrect. We're going over the mountains tonight."

With that, Irvin walked over towards the woods.

"H…hey?! Are you serious?!" Ataer complained.

"I'm dead serious. Now get moving, you two!"

It turned out that the bright lights and constant traffic made the journey less interesting. The hike turned out to be a walk along a dirt path alongside the road. It only took a few hours for the three to arrive at Stratten Valley, a small valley village nestled into the mountains. The village had a few houses and a small Pokémon Center, but Irvin nodded over to the road.

"We're going to walk until we see the sunrise."

* * *

Around midnight, Char got tired and was recalled into his Pokéball. At the same time, Fletchling was about to crash, so he was recalled as well.

"We've only begun the trek. Get out your weapons."

Draxel frowned.

"Why do we need to-"

"Do it. Without Pokémon, you need some way to defend yourself, right? Wasn't this the entire point of those two weeks of training? Now get a move on."

## The World Outside of the Mountains, May 29, AW667

"So…tired…"

Ataer stopped walking.

"I…I need to sit down for a while. We're… close, right?"

Irvin chuckled.

"See for yourself."

They had arrived at Silenas Ridge, the highest vehicle-accessible point in the Southeastern Mountains. Ahead of them was a sea of trees and mountains, the road twisting and turning through them. And beyond the mountains was a great expanse of lush hills. The rising sun cast shadows on the hilltops, and the darkness began to fade.

"Look there to the right. Rejernia."

Indeed. Far beyond the expanse of hills was a lake, small from where they were, and a city lay on the southern side.

"That is your destination. Mine, Revenstrake, is far from here. Well, I promised we'd stop. So here we are."

Irvin turned the corner, and walked into a dirt parking lot for a Pokémon Center.

"Get your rest, and let your Pokémon sleep as well. It's time for us to bid farewell!"

With that, he jumped off of the ridge, and Flygon swooped down to catch him. And with that, the two blasted off into the orange-yellow sunrise.

* * *

"Damn." Ataer said, nodding to himself.

"I wish Char could fly like that. But he's still a Charmander." Draxel said.

"Heh. Just give him some time. Now, I'm going to crash. So let's head over to that Pokémon Center, shall we?

#####

And that's Chapter 8.


End file.
